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Dublin women’s soccer manager Mick Bohan believes the 2020 inter-county season should be ruled out if the vaccine can’t be found in time during the Covid-19 pandemic.
GAA President John Horan said over the weekend that he doesn’t expect soccer or pitching to resume as long as social distancing measures are in place and that an October deadline could come into play if conditions are right and the LGFA is observing matters closely regarding their own season
The Dubs would bet on a fourth All-Ireland at the trot, but manager Bohan believes that unless a shot can be found in record time, the championship should be canceled.
“The steps to be taken in that regard, between finding a vaccine and obtaining it, will be beyond the deadline [2020] we have to play, “he told 2fm’s Game On.
“In my opinion, and it doesn’t feel good to even say it, from the point of releasing pressure on everyone, this has to go by 2020.”
“I think the carrot hanging from an October championship is very difficult, it is very ambiguous at the moment.”
“It is hard for you to see if there is a short-term response.
“Our games were configured as a social outlet for people. I am very concerned if it goes to October, suddenly there is a fight for the land, for lighted fields and the weather turns bad and we are in all kinds of difficulties.”
This week, a survey by the Club Players Association suggested that more than a fifth of GAA players are unwilling to return to training before finding a Covid-19 vaccine.
An October championship is likely to see a revised format and the possibility of a direct knockout isn’t appealing to Bohan, and in that case, he believes the game would be better by canceling the season entirely.
“I would hate to see that the competition is done only for some games [if it were knock-out]I don’t see the benefit in that.
“My opinion would be to kick in completely until the new season, if that’s the case. That’s not what we want, but the competition must run properly over time.”
With his participation in various teams, Bohan admits that time out of the playgroup is difficult for everyone, but particularly for the most vulnerable members of any sports team.
“People on the street tell me, ‘It’s not the pub that I miss, it’s the interaction.’ It’s the same with coaching a team.”
“It is not just the game itself, it is the enjoyment you see seeing players develop skills or solve problems, interact with people.”
“No computer, no amount of phone calls can make up for that.
“I know from our own group that those who struggle with anxiety, and there are in every team, who struggle with anxiety, find it very difficult. That camaraderie is lacking.”
“It is not just about exercising alone, it is about the training sessions. They have been removed overnight and are difficult to deal with.”
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